WORLD OF INDUSTRIES - LOGISTICS 1/2017

01 3,700 pallet storage

01 3,700 pallet storage locations provide significantly higher warehouse capacities for up to nearly 4,000 tons WAREHOUSING future seismic shocks and to minimize the commercial impact should the worst happen. In searching for a development and realization partner, Amul turned to SSI Schaefer Systems International Pvt. Ltd. Active in India since 2008, the SSI Schaefer Group is represented through roughly 60 subsidiaries around the world and already enjoys a long-term business relationship with Amul Dairy, which began with the construction of a new cheese processing plant in Khatraj, also in Gujarat. “With this greenfield project, we were now looking to provide a solution that fell between ‘complete automation’ and ‘optimized statics’,” says Arpita Tak, Business Development Manager at SSI Schaefer in India. “So where better to turn than to mobile racks?” adds the project manager, rhetorically of course. “We were impressed by the arguments in favour of this solution,” underscores Amit Vyas. SSI Schaefer were able to explicitly demonstrate that mobile racks needed significantly less space than conventional, stationary systems for exactly the same warehouse quantity. Even in small storage rooms, cost-efficiency can be assured. The high degree of utilization of the available floor space also has a positive impact on the overall costs of the warehouse building itself. “Furthermore, the compact design allows us to cut our energy needs as well,” adds the General Manager. “The cheddar cheese needs to spend months maturing at a constant ambient temperature. Owing to the region’s natural climate, operating a cold warehouse here normally is a very expensive business.” SSI Schaefer’s expertise in the field of temperature-controlled logistics was further underlined when it was named “Cold Chain Solution Provider of the Year – Mobile Racking System”. The award was given to SSI Schaefer Systems International Pvt. Ltd. at the end of 2014 during the “8th Express, Logistics & Supply Chain Leadership Awards” in Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai. Meticulous planning, coordination and construction In cooperation with the SSI Schaefer Group, which has already implemented several earthquake-resistant reference projects that have been put to Mother Nature’s test, the modular – and therefore scalable – warehouse technology was adapted to the specific requirements on the ground in India’s north-west. The project team was supported in its efforts by specialists from SSI Schaefer, who spend every day working to refine and improve safety mechanisms. WORLDOFINDUSTRIES – INTRALOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION 1/2017

David Eisenhut, Director Global Sales Support at SSI Schaefer: “Our safety standards, which improve the ability of the rack systems to withstand even heavy seismic events, are entirely based on European measures of quality.” As a result, much thicker materials are used in systems destined for earthquake-prone zones. Additional protection is provided by built-in safety mechanisms such as antitilt guards for the carriages and assembly towers for stabilizing the rack structure. And the creativity of the intralogistics experts does not stop there. Take the floor covering, for example: “For Amul, we developed an insulation solution based on a ceramic coating produced using nanotechnology,” explains SSI Schaefer Project Manager Arpita Tak. This is far better at absorbing the dynamic load of a system than conventional steel plates, which are installed underneath the rails. As a result, we have been able to prevent the floor from dangerously shrivelling or even giving way at all during day-to-day commercial operations. The “white revolution” enters a new era The mobile rack system containing some 3,700 pallet storage locations (Image 01) was handed over to Amul Dairy in November 2015, whereupon the new cold-storage warehouse, initially housing the popular cheddar cheese, was brought into operation. The company benefits from significantly higher warehouse capacities for a total volume of goods weighing up to nearly 4,000 tons, the best possible storage density and shorter access times. The dynamic system (Image 02) has been designed for needs-based stock additions and retrievals of 90 pallets a day spread over three eight-hour shifts. “The high degree of selectivity that we stipulated has put us in a position to apply the ABC principle, taking into account the varying stages of maturity and best before dates of the produce. We have also been able to cut costs and achieve our targets, such as the costeffective utilization of the new mobile rack system,” summarizes General Manager Amit Vyas. Greater levels of food safety is another extremely important aspect for Amul Dairy. “This fantastic concept helps us to maximize the available space in our new cold-storage warehouse by providing even more pallet storage locations. We are delighted with the quality of the product and the customer service from the SSI Schaefer team.” Thanks to the positive experiences gained from this project and the new standards of earthquake resistance that the system provides, Amul Dairy plans to replicate its installation in other subsidiaries in Gujarat. Amul Dairy is thus taking the first steps towards further systematic and efficient increases in productivity. Last but not least, such commitment also guarantees the members of the dairy cooperative a regular income into the future. Or, as Amul and the GCMMF put it: “It has given farmers the courage to dream, to hope, to live.” Photographs: SSI Schaefer www.ssi-schaefer.com 02 The mobile rack system implies high dynamic as well as an optimized filling rate and short access times